Many people tend to behave differently around clergy. As a character in a novel I recently read lamented, “You can’t talk bawdy around the parson.” We have different expectations of clergy. They are supposed to have nobler things on their minds than other people have. Catholic priests are not even allowed to marry.

Of course, there are pastors who try to belie the expectations. “We’re just ordinary folks,” they say. “We have many of the same concerns as everyone else. Why, we can tell a dirty joke as well as anyone or drink as much beer as the next person.”

That may be true, but something is lost when clergy are “just like everyone else.” When clergy are what they are supposed to be, they represent God. They remind us that God matters in our lives, that ethical and religious concerns are important. Pastors and priests are supposed to be different, and we rightly resent it when they are not.

However, it may surprise you to hear that you are a priest, too! The writer of First Peter said to his Christian audience, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). All Christians are called to be priests. We may think sometimes that pastors or priests are weird, but all of us are called to a similar kind of weirdness that the church calls holiness.

Series Name: Infusion Bible eStudies

Time Period: Other

Age Level: All Adults

Component: Other

Need help selecting the appropriate Curriculum Resource?Be sure to check out our Curriculum Finder to help you find the right resources for your group.

Recommended for You

The United Methodist Hymnal

Pew Navy Blue

Eligible for FREEStandard Shipping

Hardcover

$21.99

$19.79

Eligible for FREE Standard Shipping

The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2012

Eligible for FREEStandard Shipping

Hardcover

$21.99

Eligible for FREE Standard Shipping

The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2012 - Downloadable PDF Edition